I am surprised how many negative reviews there are on this site. THE FANTASTICKS is a good movie. The director made some
poor choices, but it is still a delightful, worthwhile movie. Luckily, the wonderful songs "Depends on What You Pay" and
"Plant a Radish" which were cut are available as extras on the
DVD. People need to stop comparing this to the stage production.
Movie adaptations of musicals almost ALWAYS change things and
purests can always point out major differences. Cabaret, Grease, Sound of Music...the list goes on and on. The fact is, the movie needs to be assessed on its own. It is a different entity than the play. Yes, we all know and love the stage production. Can't you simply enjoy the movie for what it is? Frankly, I thought it captured the mood of the play quite well. It was filmed on the praire of Arizona and has a very nostalgic,
theatrical feel to it. El Gallo is not the best, but Louisa and Matt are charming.
Especially Louisa. She is beautiful. And it's got Joel Grey, for gosh sake. Anything he's in is worth
seeing. So stop complaining. Don't grade on a scale of "1 to stage
production". Appreciate the movie for what it is. I know I did. It deserves more than a 5.4 weighted average (63% of users gave
it a "10").
poor choices, but it is still a delightful, worthwhile movie. Luckily, the wonderful songs "Depends on What You Pay" and
"Plant a Radish" which were cut are available as extras on the
DVD. People need to stop comparing this to the stage production.
Movie adaptations of musicals almost ALWAYS change things and
purests can always point out major differences. Cabaret, Grease, Sound of Music...the list goes on and on. The fact is, the movie needs to be assessed on its own. It is a different entity than the play. Yes, we all know and love the stage production. Can't you simply enjoy the movie for what it is? Frankly, I thought it captured the mood of the play quite well. It was filmed on the praire of Arizona and has a very nostalgic,
theatrical feel to it. El Gallo is not the best, but Louisa and Matt are charming.
Especially Louisa. She is beautiful. And it's got Joel Grey, for gosh sake. Anything he's in is worth
seeing. So stop complaining. Don't grade on a scale of "1 to stage
production". Appreciate the movie for what it is. I know I did. It deserves more than a 5.4 weighted average (63% of users gave
it a "10").